Pressure is mounting on the government after Amnesty International (AI) demanded probe into the nameless graves discovered by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons
SRINAGAR: Pressure is mounting on the government after Amnesty International (AI) demanded probe into the nameless graves discovered by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in three tehsils of Barmulla district of north Kashmir.
The issue has also triggered a political storm with People's Democratic Party (PDP), an important ally in the Congress-led government, demanding army be immediately sent to the barracks, while separatist Hurriyat Conference has asked UN to help in investigating the issue.
AI, in a statement, has called on Centre to investigate into the hundreds of unidentified graves discovered since 2006 in J&K. "The investigations must be independent, impartial and follow international standards," said the statement.
What has given a new twist to the issue is PDP's renewed demand for withdrawal of the army from civilian areas. "Since the five bodies of fake encounter victims were exhumed last year, we have been pressing for troop withdrawal from civilian areas. There is no balance because the militants' number has decreased but the number of forces has remained the same. The cure for all ills lies in troops going back to their barracks, similar to 1989 position," said Mehbooba Mufti, PDP president.
Hurriyat Conference on the other hand, has decided to knock at the doors of UN seeking probe into the graves issue. “We want UN and other international human rights bodies to investigate the issue and unravel the mystery behind these graves. The grave issue is very serious and we fear that some of the missing persons might have been buried in these graves," said Shabir Ahmad Shah, senior Hurriyat leader.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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